Posts filed under 'Sustainable Living'
The Alicia Ashman Branch of Madison Public Library was the backdrop of an October 27, 2009, press conference announcing grants totalling $1 million to Madison and Milwaukee for advancing their solar energy development programs . Mayor Cieslewicz, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Governor Doyle, and Tehri Parker of Midwest Renewable Energy Association were in attendance. The Alicia Ashman Branch Library hosts one of the city’s solar power installations as part of the MadiSUN Solar Energy Program. Read more about the grant at Letter From Here’s Talking about sunny money on a rainy day, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Milwaukee, Madison awarded $1 million for solar expansion or WKOW-TV’s Federal dollars to develop Wis. solar energy, or learn more about the MadiSUN solar energy project. Photo by Peter Patau.
October 27th, 2009
Tana
“Sustainability is the ability to meet our needs without compromising the needs of future generations.” Join the City of Madison in an important effort in developing the City’s Sustainability Plan. Please come and learn about what the city is doing to make Madison’s community, economy and environment sustainable and voice your priorities to shape upcoming efforts that will improve and sustain our quality of life now and for generations to come.
October 8th, 2009
Alicia
As the weather turns cooler, join us at the Pinney Library for a Sustainable Living Film series. On the first Friday of the month, October through December, we’ll be screening feature films and documentaries focusing on various aspects of sustainability and the environment.
Friday, October 2 at 7:00 p.m.: Medicine Man
Sean Connery plays Dr. Robert Campbell, a brilliant but unorthodox scientist racing against time in his bold research for a cure for cancer. Set deep in the forbidding Amazon rain forest, this action-packed hit follows Campbell hot on the trail of an amazing discovery — but the eccentric recluse soon finds himself caught in the midst of an explosive adventure. (105 minutes, PG-13)
Friday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m.: Arctic Tale
Follow Nanu the polar bear cub and Seela the walrus pup through exciting and often dangerous struggles for survival, with only their natural instincts and mothers’ guidance to help them face the challenges of a world that is melting around them. (86 minutes, G)
Friday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m.: Too Hot Not to Handle
Over the past 100 years, the mass consumption of fossil fuel has contributed to a dangerous global warming that is now beginning to adversely impact our lives and promises to do far greater damage if we continue to ignore its warning signs. This cautionary documentary offers a guide to the impacts of global warming on the U.S. and gives measures that can be taken to reverse this trend. (54 minutes, Not Rated)
Learn more about Green Partnerships at the Madison Public Library. Interested in more resources and programming about sustainable living? Visit the Sustainable Living collection at the Pinney Branch, sponsored by a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation. Check out resources for “Greening Our World”, supported by Madison Gas & Electric.
September 30th, 2009
Alicia
It’s attainable! Be sustainable in September with a series of sustainable living programs at the Sequoya Branch.
On Wednesday, September 23 at 7 p.m., join Livia Kivirist and John Ivanko for a talk on their book, ECOpreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet Before Profits. Part small business manifesto, part personal finance primer, ECOpreneuring is essential reading for small business owners, prospective entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs starting non-profit organizations and anyone who dreams of a livelihood based on independence, creativity, passion, and a commitment to green practices and sustainability. Join the authors as they talk about their book and their fresh and dynamic approach to entrepreneurial thinking, blending passion for the planet with small business pragmatics and smashing the stereotype the “doing good” and “running a business” can’t go hand in hand.
Learn more about Green Partnerships at the Madison Public Library. Interested in more resources and programming about sustainable living? Visit the Sustainable Living collection at the Pinney Branch, sponsored by a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation. Check out resources for “Greening Our World”, supported by Madison Gas & Electric.
September 12th, 2009
Alicia
It’s attainable! Be sustainable in September with a series of sustainable living programs at the Sequoya Branch.
On Thursday, September 17 at 7 p.m., become a part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s first common book program with Susan Lampert Smith. Join Susan, Science Writer and Senior Lecturer at the UW and former columnist at the Wisconsin State Journal, to discuss Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, being read community wide for Go Big Read. Pollan’s book is a tough, witty discourse on why food is more than the sum of its nutritional parts. Susan and her husband Matt Smith are the owners of Blue Valley Gardens, a certified organic fruit and vegetable farm located 30 miles west of Madison. Reserve a copy of In Defense of Food online.
Learn more about Green Partnerships at the Madison Public Library. Interested in more resources and programming about sustainable living? Visit the Sustainable Living collection at the Pinney Branch, sponsored by a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation. Check out resources for “Greening Our World”, supported by Madison Gas & Electric.
September 4th, 2009
Alicia
It’s attainable! Be sustainable in September with a series of sustainable living programs at the Sequoya Branch.
On Thursday, September 3 at 7 p.m., learn about a local group’s efforts to change the way we think about food production. Fitchburg Fields is a group working to develop a center for teaching and practicing small scale organic agriculture on a bout 250 acres just south of Madison, part of a broader effort to create and support a sustainable, regionally-based food system. Learn about them, and watch and discuss Fresh, a new documentary about food and the sustainable agriculture movement.
Learn more about Green Partnerships at the Madison Public Library. Interested in more resources and programming about sustainable living? Visit the Sustainable Living collection at the Pinney Branch, sponsored by a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation. Check out resources for “Greening Our World”, supported by Madison Gas & Electric.
August 21st, 2009
Alicia
This Fall, the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites students, staff and faculty, as well as community members, to participate in the university’s very first campus-wide common book program, Go Big Read. Participants will read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, which will be integrated into courses for the fall semester, and have the opportunity to participate in book discussions and events sponsored by the UW and the community. Pollan will be visiting campus September 24 - 26 for a series of events.
Many Madison Public Library locations will be hosting events in conjunction with the program.
- Book discussion at the Madison Senior Center (330 W. Mifflin St.) with Librarian Liz Amundson on Thursday, September 17, 9:30 a.m.
- Book discussion with Susan Lampert Smith, science writer and senior lecturer at the UW, on Thursday, September 17, 7:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch
- Book discussion on Saturday, September 19, 1:30 p.m. at the South Madison Branch
- Book discussion and potluck co-sponsored by the Lakeview Branch and Community Groundworks on Wednesday, September 23, 6:00 p.m. at Troy Gardens (in case of rain, the event will take place at the Lakeview Branch)
- Book discussion on Sunday, October 11, 2:00 p.m. at the Central Library - this event is a part of the Wisconsin Book Festival
- Book discussion on Tuesday, October 13, 7:00 p.m. at the Pinney Branch
Reserve a copy of In Defense of Food online. For more resources about sustainable living, and news about how the Madison Public Library is going green, check out our Green Partnerships.
August 20th, 2009
Alicia
If you’ve been to the Pinney Branch Library lately, you may have noticed a new addition to the landscape: micro rain gardens. Join us on Thursday, August 13 at 7:00 p.m. for an outdoor christening of the Grace Schmid Rain Gardens and a presentation on their many benefits.
Named in memory of a long-time patron and supporter of Pinney and other local libraries, these demonstration gardens were funded by the Friends of the Pinney Branch Library and were also made possible with support from Madison’s City Engineering department. Design and installation work was done by Earth & Water Works, LLC. Ellen Rulseh, President of Earth & Water Works, will be presenting “Rain Gardens and Their Rewards” as a part of Pinney’s Sustainable Living program series. Rulseh’s presentation will enumerate and illustrate the benefits of rain gardens: reducing polluted stormwater from going into our urban lakes (Monona and Mendota) and streams; recharging groundwater; promoting biodiversity by attracting native birds, butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects; and adding beauty, interest and value to home, business and municipal property.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation, Pinney is expanding its collection of materials on sustainable living and providing programming and events emphasizing ways in which everyone can contribute to sustainable living for our future. See our Green Page for more information about the ways in which the Madison Public Library is contributing to sustainable living for our future. Not able to come to the presentation? See photos of the gardens on Flickr.
July 30th, 2009
Tana
The next time you’re in the neighborhood of the Pinney Branch Library, stop by and see our new micro-rain gardens! Two new rain gardens were planted alongside the library, which will capture roof runoff and be helpful in reducing flooding. The gardens add a touch of beauty to the area, and will hopefully attract birds and bees. Check out photos from the planting on Flickr.com - we’ll be adding more as our gardens grow! The gardens were made possible with funding from the Friends of the Madison Public Library, and are a part of the efforts of the Pinney Branch to “go green” and provide information and resources for sustainable living. Sustainable living resources are funded in part with a generous grant from the Madison Community Foundation.
July 1st, 2009
Alicia
Spring has sprung, and what better way to celebrate the season than going green with your very own home composting bin! This Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the City of Madison will be holding its annual Home Compost Bin Sale at the Alliant Energy Center in the Olin Avenue Parking lot. The Earth Machine backyard composter will be available for purchase for $40, tax included. Cash, check and credit cards will be accepted. There is no limit to the number of bins you can buy, and you need not be a resident of the City of Madison or Dane County to participate. Bins will be sold on a first come, first served basis while supplies last, so don’t wait to buy! Compost turners, kitchen pails, and rain barrels will also be available.
Why not make it a green weekend with a visit to the Madison Water Utility’s Open House to celebrate National Drinking Water Week? From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Water Utility Administration Building (119 E. Olin Ave.), utility representatives will be giving tours and highlighting the ways that they pump, test, disinfect, and distribute this precious natural resource to every resident of the city.
Looking for more information? Madison Public Library has resources for your sustainable living!
May 8th, 2009
Alicia
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